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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22854586">Puppy Love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mills_swanQueen/pseuds/mills_swanQueen'>mills_swanQueen</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Once Upon a Time (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bisexual Emma Swan, Bisexual Evil Queen | Regina Mills, Cute, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Idiots in Love, Mayor Evil Queen | Regina Mills, non-magic au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 18:28:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,833</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22854586</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mills_swanQueen/pseuds/mills_swanQueen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina Mills, mayor of Storybrook is lonely after her divorce and she decides to adopt a puppy named Lola. When Lola is a little sick, Regina takes her to the veterinary clinic where she meets Emma. </p><p>Caution: cute fluff ahead ;)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>152</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Love at first sight/bark</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Regina Mills had always wanted to adopt a puppy. Not that being the mayor of a small town in Maine would give her much free time to take care of a dog, but Regina was lonely. She had just gone through a divorce nearly six months ago and she hasn't really dated since. Her best friend Mal supported her decision to stay single for a while and focus on her work, but her sister Zelena kept pushing for Regina to go on blind dates she kept trying to set up. </p><p>She came up with the solution of adopting a dog. Regina had a dog when she was younger, but it was hit by a car. The loss was devastating, and it took years before she could even think about getting another dog. She decided to leave work early one day to go to the Storybrooke animal shelter. That's where she met Lola, the adorable 7-week-old puppy that melted her heart. They had an instant connection that was undeniable. Regina took her home right away after picking up some food, toys, and a doggy bed. </p><p>Lola made herself right at home, usually never straying very far from Regina. If Lola hadn't been so snuggly and cute, Regina wouldn't have let her on the bed, but she didn't have it in her to tell her no. Over the past week, Regina noticed that Lola started to be a little less active, so she asked Ruby, the dog sitter, to monitor her closely while she was at work and contact her if there were any problems.</p><p>In between meetings, Regina got a call from Ruby saying that Lola had gotten worse, so Regina rushed home during her lunch break and Ruby informed her that Lola had refused to eat, and she had gotten sick twice. Regina drove to the only veterinary clinic in Storybrooke. Luckily there was nobody waiting for their pet to be seen so as soon as Regina finished the paperwork, Lola would be checked out right away. Regina took a seat in the waiting room with Lola in the seat next to her. She got busy with the paperwork when she heard footsteps approaching her. The brunette looked up and saw the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. The woman was tall and had beautiful blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. She was somehow still attractive even though she wore a veterinary uniform and slip-resistant shoes. "Hello", was all Regina could get out while trying not to stare at the blonde model standing before her. </p><p>The blonde held out her hand for Regina to shake, "Hi, I'm Dr. Swan. I'm the new veterinarian. I heard you have a sick puppy." </p><p>Regina returned the handshake. "Regina Mills. This is my dog Lola. It's nice to finally meet the new vet." When Regina heard a couple of weeks ago that a new veterinary doctor from Boston had moved there, she assumed it would be some old stick-in-the-mud type with grey hair, only a few years from retiring. Boy had she been wrong. </p><p>"Yeah, I just moved here from Boston. I got tired of living in a big city and I heard there was an opening here. It's a nice little town, I really enjoy it so far. What do you do here?" </p><p><em>Here we go.</em> "I'm the Mayor here. On my 3rd term, all unopposed." To Regina's surprise the blonde didn't seem phased by the fact that the mayor was sitting right in front of her.</p><p>“It’s a pleasure to meet you Madame Mayor. Though I wish it were under different circumstances. If you’ll follow me to an exam room, I can start examining her.” Emma had heard stories about the scary mayor of Storybrooke and she’s relieved that the woman in front of her seems nothing like some sort of evil queen.</p><p>Dr. Swan’s smile and dazzling, bright green eyes leave Regina breathless. It takes her a moment to compose herself before picking up Lola and following the blonde to an exam room. The blonde holds open the exam room door and gestures for Regina to enter, closing the door behind them. Regina gently lays Lola on the exam table and waits for the doctor to approach. The blonde reads through the paperwork before asking some questions.</p><p>“How long have you had Lola?”</p><p>“I adopted her almost two weeks ago. She was in perfect health then. I don’t understand how something could be wrong. She’s usually a normal, active and healthy puppy.”</p><p>“It says here that you noticed the symptoms three days ago. Has there been any changes to your daily routine?”</p><p>“Well, I’ve had to stay later in my office this week. There was an incident that demanded my immediate attention and I’ve gotten a little bit behind on paperwork. But how could that be affecting Lola?” Regina was a little confused on how she caused Lola to suddenly fall ill.</p><p>Seeing the Mayor’s discomfort, she slowly reveals her diagnosis. “Madame Mayor, after examining Lola I believe that the reason she’s acting this way is because she misses you. I’ve seen this kind of behavior in other pets before when their owner isn’t around as much. It’s like when humans are depressed. Sometimes, you just want someone there with you.”</p><p>Regina studied Dr. Swan for a moment, unsure if she was serious. “That’s it? So, you’re telling me that my <em>puppy</em> has clinical depression?” She’d never heard of such a thing before. <em>How could this happen? Maybe I shouldn’t even have a pet with my unreasonable work schedule. </em></p><p>“Madame Mayor, studies have shown that animals can contract many of the same things that humans have like depression or diabetes. There are some tablets I can prescribe that you can crush up and put into Lola’s food in the morning that should help with her symptoms. I understand this is not easy, but it’s not as uncommon as you might think. It’s also not your fault, so don’t be too hard on yourself.” Dr. Swan grabbed a prescription pad and a pen from her pocket and began scribbling down information. She handed it to Regina and gave Lola a quick scratch behind the ears before moving to open the door. “If you have any questions or concerns, here’s my business card. Feel free to contact me outside of clinic hours. I’d be happy to help.”</p><p>“Thank you, Dr. Swan, but I wouldn’t want to bother you. I’m sure Lola will be just fine.” Regina tried to give the business card back, but she was stopped.</p><p>“I insist. You wouldn’t be a bother at all. In fact, I’d love to hear about Lola’s progress. I don’t have too many patients here yet, and I have to admit, Lola’s one of the cutest puppies I’ve ever seen.”</p><p>“Well, maybe you could join Lola and I at the dog park sometime.” <em>And then we could go out to dinner after that, or maybe back to my place and-</em></p><p>
  <em>Regina what are you thinking? Pull yourself together!</em>
</p><p>“That would be great! I wouldn’t mind watching Lola sometime when I’m not working. She’s a great dog, you’re lucky you found her.”</p><p>“I really am.” <em>And she’s not the only one I’m lucky to have found. </em>“It was nice to meet you, Dr. Swan.” Regina extended her hand and gave the doctor a genuine smile.</p><p>“It was nice meeting you too, Madame Mayor. Please, call me Emma.” The blonde shook the mayor’s hand and shot her a smile of her own.</p><p>“And while we’re on a first name basis, call me Regina.” She couldn’t help but notice there was no ring on the blonde’s finger when they shook hands. <em>What are you doing? Don’t get ahead of yourself. She could simply take her ring off while she’s at work so it doesn’t get dirty. </em></p><p>“Please keep me updated on my favorite adorable patient.”</p><p>Regina grabbed Lola from the exam table. “I definitely will. Have a nice day, Emma.”</p><p>“You too, Regina. I’ll see you soon.” Dr. Swan left the exam room and went back toward her office.</p><p><em>I really hope it is soon. </em>Little did they know, they were both thinking the same thing.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The rest of the week went by smoothly. Regina had given Lola the anti-depressants every day and found that by Friday, her symptoms had almost completely disappeared. She was back to being a happy puppy. Regina kept her promise and updated Emma on Lola’s condition. In many texts back and forth, Regina and the blonde had gotten into a playful banter that bordered on flirting. Emma had made plans to drop by the mayor’s house after work to check on Lola in person.</p><p>Regina could surely think of a reasonable explanation for changing her outfit three times that morning. Maybe she was nervous for the city council meeting? Or maybe she wasn’t quite sure if an outfit would be warm enough, being mid-March and in between winter and spring weather? But she knew the real reason she wanted to look especially nice today. Because a certain beautiful veterinarian was coming over later to check on Lola. The brunette had settled on a deep red blouse with a black pencil skirt and blazer, and her tallest heels that gave her a boost of confidence. She was ready for this evening. To her surprise, she had even been able to leave the office early. When Regina arrived home, she paid and thanked the dog sitter. Lola was running around, her tail wagging excitedly. Regina was almost as excited as Lola was for her ‘date, but not a date’ with Emma.</p><p>Regina noticed that it was only 4 o’clock and Emma wouldn’t get off work for at least another hour and a half. She decided to make her famous lasagna (with red pepper flakes as the secret ingredient) that everyone liked. You know, just in case the blonde was hungry after working all day.</p><p>
  <em>Oh, what have I gotten myself into? I am NOT the type of person to fawn over someone. What am I doing? Of course it isn’t a date and making lasagna is completely unnecessary. </em>
</p><p>But Regina for some odd reason, wanted to impress Emma. Even though this wasn’t technically a date, she hoped it would go well and possibly lead to a real date.</p><p>Once that lasagna was in the oven, she settled down in the living room with Lola for a while. Regina almost dozed off while snuggling with Lola, but was woken up by the oven alarm going off. She jumped up to get the lasagna out of the oven before it burned. Nothing was worse than burnt lasagna. Thankfully, it was perfect. <em>It should have just enough time to cool before-</em></p><p>She didn’t have time to finish her thought before the doorbell rang. Regina checked the time, sure enough, it was only seven minutes after five. The blonde was almost a half hour early.</p><p>Regina turned the oven off and went toward the front door, checking her appearance in the hall mirror before opening the door.</p><p>“Hi, Madame Mayor. I hope you don’t mind that I’m early.” The blonde was smiling, but she looked a little nervous.</p><p>Regina couldn’t help but admire the red leather jacket, skinny jeans, and boots the blonde was wearing. It was a nice change from the scrubs she wore at the veterinary clinic. “Hello, Emma. Actually, you have perfect timing, I just took my famous lasagna out of the oven. I thought you might be hungry coming here straight from work.”</p><p>“Lasagna sounds great! Thank you.” Regina stepped back and gestured for Emma to enter the house.</p><p>“Please take your shoes off, if you don’t mind. I think Lola’s still napping on the couch. I must admit I must have fallen asleep myself.” Regina nervously pushed a strand of dark hair behind her ear.</p><p>“Don’t worry, I probably would have done the same thing. You have a really nice home.”</p><p>“Thank you. My ex-husband left the house to me in the divorce.” Regina hadn’t exactly planned on mentioning her ex, but it was too late now. They both took a seat on the couch, far enough from the sleeping puppy to avoid waking her.</p><p>“I’m sorry to hear about your divorce.”</p><p>“Don’t be sorry. The relationship was doomed from the beginning. I had been dating him for about eight months when my father suddenly became ill. He had stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and he only had a few months left if we were lucky. My mother was the one who pushed for a marriage. Well, she always got what she wanted. We had barely even discussed marriage before, but mother gave us no choice. We were married for almost two and a half years. We divorced last September. Part of the reason I adopted Lola is because I was feeling a bit lonely. It must sound pathetic.”</p><p>Emma placed a hand on top of the brunette’s to comfort her. “It’s not pathetic at all, Regina. I’m sorry to hear about your father. You must have been close.”</p><p>“Thank you. We were close, my father was the kindest man with a heart of gold. Losing him was difficult.” Regina cleared her throat, once again messing with her hair. She suddenly remembered the food she had made for them and practically ran to the kitchen. “I should go finish preparing the lasagna.”</p><p>“Oh, uh- okay. You really didn’t have to do that, Regina.”</p><p>“It’s the least I could do. I enjoy cooking, and since you’re new to town, you haven’t had the chance to taste my award-winning lasagna yet.” As Regina prepared the lasagna to serve, she heard the jingle of a dog collar in the living room. Regina just finished plating the lasagna when Lola entered the kitchen and she kneeled to greet her. Regina used a higher pitched, ‘cutesy’ voice to talk to her puppy. “Hi Lola! You must be hungry too, huh?” She heard a little chuckle and looked up to see the blonde standing in the doorway to the kitchen.</p><p>“That’s adorable.” The blonde looked rather amused at having caught Regina using her ‘cutesy’ voice to talk to Lola.</p><p>Regina was not amused. In fact, she was a little embarrassed. “You can’t tell me that you don’t sound like that while talking to a cute little puppy like Lola.” Regina stood up and gave Lola her dinner (puppy food, not lasagna).</p><p>“Point taken. But you do have a really cute puppy voice.” Emma’s stomach rumbled loudly as she could smell the lasagna.</p><p>“Since you heard my puppy voice, it’s only fair that I hear yours. But maybe after we’ve all had something to eat. Bathroom’s down the hall, second door on the left if you’d like to wash up.”</p><p>“Thanks.” Emma ventured down the hall to the bathroom and quickly ‘washed up’. She could hardly wait to taste the lasagna, no doubt that it would taste even better than it smelled. She went back into the kitchen and found Regina working on setting the dinner table in the adjacent dining room. “Do you need any help?”</p><p>“That won’t be necessary. You’re a guest in my home, you shouldn’t have to set the table. I know you have to drive home later, but would you like a small glass of wine?”</p><p>“Yeah, that would be great!”</p><p>Regina gestured for Emma to sit while she grabbed the wine. She returned to the table a moment later with two glasses of red wine, one of them only half full for Emma.</p><p>“Thank you, Regina. You really didn’t have to go through all this trouble.”</p><p>“It was no trouble at all, Ms. Swan.” Regina raised her glass and they toasted. “Cheers to Lola.”</p><p>They clinked glasses and began eating. It appeared Regina had also prepared a Caesar salad, which happened to be Emma’s favorite type of salad. <em>This night really can’t get any better. </em></p><p>Turns out, it could. As soon as Emma tasted the lasagna, she was in love. “Oh my god, this is the best lasagna I’ve ever had! What’s your secret? I swear I won’t tell anyone.”</p><p>“I’m glad you like it. My secret ingredient is red pepper flakes. I find that it gives it a little kick of spice. And if you tell anyone the secret, I’ll have to kill you.” Regina looked mischievously at Emma, clearly joking.</p><p>Emma chuckled and held her hands up in mock terror. “You’re the mayor, you wouldn’t go against the law, right?”</p><p>Regina lightly shrugged and took a sip of her wine. The rest of the meal went by in playful banter and talk about Lola. Once the meal was done, Emma once again profusely thanked Regina for the meal and told her for the hundredth time how delicious the food was.</p><p>“It’s really no problem at all. Honestly, if you weren’t here I probably would have made the same thing. You just saved me from having to eat left-overs for the next three days.” Regina stood and began clearing the table and Emma did the same, following her to the sink to help wash the dishes.</p><p>“Well, if all your cooking is this good, I’d be happy to help with that problem again sometime.”</p><p>“I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll wash, you dry?” Emma agreed to that and they made quick work of cleaning the dishes.</p><p>Once they were done, they headed back toward the living room to see the cutest puppy in the world.</p><p>This time, Emma used her ‘cutesy puppy voice’ to talk to Lola. “Hi, Lola! Aren’t you the cutest thing ever?”</p><p>Regina openly laughed at that, “okay, now I don’t feel so bad about my ‘puppy voice’.”</p><p>“I don’t care how silly I sound, Lola loves it. Don’t you, Lo?” Emma began to play with Lola and threw a nearby squeaky toy for her to fetch. “Has Lola been doing better lately?”</p><p>“Yes, thanks to you. The medication seems to be working, and luckily I’ve been able to leave the office earlier and finish paperwork from my home office the rest of this week.” Lola brought the toy back and Regina threw it this time.</p><p>“I’m glad I could help.” Lola returned and this time, Emma tried to take the toy from Lola to throw it, but Lola wanted to play a little tug-o’-war with her. Emma happily participated and laughed as Regina was on the sidelines, cheering for Lola to win.</p><p>And Lola did win. She got the toy away from Emma and curled up in her doggy bed in the corner with it.</p><p>“Well, I should probably go. Thank you again for the delicious dinner.” Emma stood up and Regina walked over to the door after her.</p><p>“You’re welcome, anytime.” <em>Did I just say ‘anytime’? </em></p><p>Emma put her boots on and Regina went to open the door for her. Emma beat her to it, but hesitated. “Do you have any plans tomorrow? I think the weather is supposed to warm up a bit, so it might be good to take Lola to the park.”</p><p>Regina was caught by surprise for a moment. “The park sounds nice. Would you like to join us? I mean, I think Lola would like to see you again.” <em>Why am I like this? It must be the wine. Damn it!</em></p><p>“I would love to! I’m not on call this weekend, so just shoot me a text whenever you decide to go.”</p><p>“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow, Emma.” Regina smiled a little wider than she meant to. <em>Damn this wine. </em></p><p>“See you tomorrow, Madame Mayor.” Emma returned the smile and walked down the sidewalk to her yellow Bug.</p><p>Regina hated to admit it, but she was really looking forward to tomorrow.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Saturday in the Park</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>An adorable (non) date in the park. More cute SwanQueen fluff.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Regina struggled to fall asleep, her overactive imagination fantasizing about her park date with Emma. Of course it wasn’t an actual date, right? But nevertheless, Regina wanted it to be. </p><p>She didn’t know why it was so easy to be so attracted to the blonde. She had never really been attracted to a woman before yet every time she was around Emma her heart beat out of her chest and she started acting like a doughy-eyed school girl with her first crush. This woman is making me question my own sexuality at 32 years old. She scoffed at the ridiculousness of it all. </p><p>Her thoughts of the blonde were interrupted by Lola jumping up on the bed, tail wagging she crawled up next to Regina and curled up next to her. Since it was 3 in the morning, Regina decided she should try to get some sleep.                    <br/>                      __________________</p><p> </p><p>Across town at the bed &amp; breakfast, Emma was also struggling to fall asleep. She was much too excited to see a certain beautiful brunette woman and her adorable puppy the following afternoon. </p><p>‘She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. What if she doesn’t like me as more than a friend? Stop it Swan, you’re getting ahead of yourself.’ </p><p>Emma had moved around a lot. Ever since she was in the foster system she never really felt comfortable with staying in one place. Boston college was the only exception and as soon as she finished her 4 years there, she fled to Iowa, then Pennsylvania, and now Storybrooke, Maine. This town was different though. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she wouldn’t mind staying here for a little longer than she normally would, especially after meeting Regina. </p><p>Regina Mills. </p><p>The mayor of Storybrooke.</p><p>The blonde could honestly say she’s never fell for a mayor before, but mayors usually didn’t look like that. </p><p>Emma was bisexual. She’s known it since she was 15 and she had a crush on a girl named Lily. Long story short, she broke Emma’s heart. </p><p>She’s only dated men since then, only hooking up with women in bars during college when they wanted to experiment. </p><p>This new woman in her life was different. Not to mention she has the cutest puppy the blonde has ever seen, and she makes the world’s best lasagna. And Emma had a date with Regina. And Lola of course. If it even was a date. Was it a date? Did the mayor consider it a date? She wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, but the blonde hated to assume. Emma knew that the mayor’s personal life was none of her business, but she couldn’t help but pine over her. How could she not? Everything about her was mesmerizing. </p><p>Picturing Regina’s smile and hearing her laugh, Emma was finally able to fall asleep.</p><p>                      ________________</p><p>Regina woke up to a slobbery tongue repeatedly licking her face. Not the worst way to wake up, though she had to thoroughly wash her face now. Lola was happily yapping and wagging her tail, ready for their morning walk. </p><p>Once Regina was dressed and her face washed, the two left 108 Mifflin street for their short morning walk when her phone buzzed in her pocket. </p><p>‘Hey Regina, it’s Emma. I was wondering if you would like to have a picnic in the park. I’m happy to bring all the food. I wanted to repay you for the delicious lasagna last night.’ </p><p>When had the blonde put her number in Regina’s phone? </p><p>‘A picnic is a lovely idea. Please don’t think you have to repay me for the meal last night. It’s the least I could do after your help with Lola.’ </p><p>The reply came quickly. </p><p>‘It’s no trouble at all. How about we meet at the benches near the fountain at 1 o’clock?’ </p><p>Apparently, Emma had her mind set on a picnic. Regina was touched. Her ex-husband hadn’t done nice things like surprising her with a picnic. </p><p>‘That sounds perfect. Lola and I will see you then.’ </p><p>Emma sent back a smiley face emoji. </p><p>Regina continued taking Lola on her morning walk with a huge smile on her face the whole time. </p><p>                    ____________________</p><p> </p><p>It was nearing 12:30 and Emma was almost finished filling the picnic basket with sandwiches, salad, fresh strawberries, and brownies for desert. She struggled to figure out what beverages to pack. Would wine be inappropriate?  She settled on a bottle of merlot, lemonade, and bottles of water so they had some options. Last minute, she packed some treats for Lola and a small bouquet of flowers for Regina. </p><p>Emma felt well prepared, the picnic basket neatly packed. She made sure to grab an extra large blanket they could sit on while they enjoyed their food. </p><p>The blonde made her way to the fountain in the park, arriving more than fifteen minutes early so she had time to set up before Regina arrived. She wanted more dates with the gorgeous woman and her adorable dog. The blonde knew she had to woo the woman first if there were to be more dates. </p><p>Once everything was set up all she could do was wait, and only two minutes later she could see Regina and Lola walking toward her. Regina was wearing a form-fitting short purple dress and heels with her shoulder-length hair perfectly styled. Her makeup was light to accentuate her burgundy colored lipstick, framing a beaming smile. Emma was glad she dressed up as well, wearing a short cream colored dress with a thin belt around the middle and dressy sandals. Her makeup consisted of foundation and mascara and her hair was in a high ponytail. </p><p>“Hi Regina! Hi Lola!” Emma was first greeted by an excited Lola who was all ready to explore the park.  </p><p>“Hello Emma. Thank you for suggesting a picnic. I hope you didn’t go through too much trouble.” Regina eyed the food and drink option slayed out in front of her, “but it seems that you did go through a lot of trouble to prepare this.” </p><p>“Oh, it really wasn’t any trouble. Please, sit and help yourself to anything you’d like. And these are for you”, Emma stands and holds out the bouquet of lilac and gardenia flowers for Regina. </p><p>“Emma these are lovely! Thank you.” Regina’s caught off guard by the sweet gift. She hasn’t had anyone do nice things for her since her first love, Daniel. He was so kind to her always showering her with gifts to show his love for Regina. However, their love was cut short. One day, Daniel passed out and he was taken to the hospital to run some tests. The doctors discovered an inoperable brain tumor. Regina stayed in the hospital with him, refusing to leave his side until he was gone. His death sent Regina down a dark path and she was depressed for months. It took almost a year afterward, with therapy and Zelena and Mal’s care but she finally got through the worst of her depression. </p><p>There was a time after Daniel died where Regina had a fling with Mal one night after Zelena had suggested they go drinking, but she and Mal never told anyone about that. They agreed that it was only a one time thing and they usually laugh about it. Zelena suspected something was different between them when she caught them looking at each other, wordlessly communicating then bursting into laughter. Zelena begged them to tell, but they wouldn’t and Zelena eventually gave up. </p><p>Regina sat down on the blanket, most of her weight on her left with her legs folded under her to her right since she was wearing a dress and sitting cross-crossed was not an option. Emma was seated to her left, sitting the same way, but opposite and Lola was laying down on Regina’s other side enjoying the afternoon sunshine. </p><p>“I’m glad you like the flowers. I was just getting few last minute things from the grocery store and I thought you would like them.” Emma began busy herself with arranging the food, looking down so the mayor hopefully wouldn’t see her blush. </p><p>Regina was observant and saw the blonde blush, which she thought was adorable. She began helping herself to the food and complimented Emma on how delicious the simple picnic meal was, which made her blush even more. Lola was happy too, devouring the treats Emma brought for her and rolling around on the grass, loving all the attention. </p><p>Once most of the food was gone, Emma stretches her legs out in front of her and leaned back to rest on her elbows after the leftover food had been neatly packed away. “This was actually the perfect picnic. Usually when I’ve been to a picnic the food was ruined because the drinks tip over in the basket on the way or it starts raining out of nowhere, or this one time where-“</p><p>Regina decided to interrupt the blonde’s nervous rambling. “This was the perfect picnic. I think Lola agrees.” Lola was now resting her head on Regina’s leg, almost asleep. Regina took a deep breath, closing her eyes and enjoying the perfect weather. </p><p>They all just stayed like that for a while, but finally they decided to go for a walk along the trail around the park. For a while it was peaceful, just talking and laughing and playing with Lola, but suddenly Regina swore under her breath and hid behind the blonde. </p><p>“Uh, Regina? Everything okay back there? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” </p><p>“Not a ghost. See the redhead jogging this way? That’s my sister.” </p><p>Unfortunately for Regina, Zelena recognized Lola and came right over to them. </p><p>“Hey, sis! What a pleasant surprise! Won’t you introduce me to your date?” Zelena was observant like her little sister and noticed the dresses and heels, putting two and two together. </p><p>“It’s not a date.” Both Emma and Regina denied in unison. </p><p>“Alright, then who’s your non-date?” </p><p>“Zelena, this is Emma. Emma, this is my sister Zelena.” Emma and Zelena greeted each other and shook hands. </p><p>“So, what brings you three to the park today?” </p><p>“Well, as you know, Lola wasn’t feeling well so Dr. Swan helped her. She wanted to check up on Lola, so we decided to meet and go for a walk.” </p><p>“Oh, so you’re the attractive veterinarian Regina told me about. That’s very thoughtful of you to check up on your patients.” </p><p>Emma blushed and Regina was mortified that her sister revealed the fact that she finds Emma attractive. </p><p>“Oops, sorry sis! Was I not supposed to say that? Well, since this isn’t a date I might just ask Emma out myself.” Zelena looked between them and it was clear that this was very much a date, though they were too stubborn to admit it. “Forget I said anything, I’ll finish my jog now. It was lovely meeting you, Emma! Don’t be a stranger sis! I’m available to babysit Lola anytime!” She started jogging away, yelling the last bit over her shoulder. </p><p>They started walking along the trail again. “Well, now you know why I tried to hide from her.” Regina nervously tucked a strand of glossy dark hair behind her ear. </p><p>“Hey, don’t worry about it. She was really-“</p><p>“Eccentric and overbearing? I’m well aware.” </p><p>“I was going to say friendly. I didn’t know you had a sister.” </p><p>“Technically she’s my half sister. Same mother, different father. She grew up with her father in England, hence the accent. She moved here last year when our mother was sick, our mother died of a heart attack last year.” </p><p>“I’m so sorry.”  Emma grabbed Regina’s hand that wasn’t holding on to Lola’s leash and gently squeezed it. </p><p>Regina cleared her throat and squeezed Emma’s hand a little. “It’s alright. Zelena and I became closer because of it and she decided to stay here in Storybrooke. She’s become one of my closest friends, although sometimes Zelena can be a bit pushy.” </p><p>“I’m glad that you two got to know each other. I didn’t have any brothers or sisters, at least none that I was biologically related to. I grew up in the foster system.” </p><p>“Oh Emma, I’m sorry.” They made their way over to a nearby park bench. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” </p><p>“Thank you. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but I had one family who had a beagle named Maximilian. I loved taking care of him so I think he’s part of the reason why I became a vet.” </p><p>“Well, you’re great with Lola, so I think you made the right career choice.” </p><p>“I sure hope so. It’s a little late for a career change.” They shared a laugh at that and Regina gave Emma a megawatt smile and it took the blonde’s breath away. Emma smiled back, not ready for their non-date to end, but knowing that it had to. “Thank you. For today I mean. I had a great time.” </p><p>“I did too. This really was the perfect day.” Regina didn’t want to say goodbye either, so instead she leaned toward Emma, nervously watching for any signs that she would be rejected. Emma closed the remaining distance between them and their lips met. The kiss was soft and unsure, but the feeling was electric. When they pulled apart, Regina cleared her throat and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear out of habit. </p><p>Emma was the first to recover. “Now that made this the perfect day.” That made Regina’s face light up, all the previous worry vanishing. </p><p>“Perhaps there could be more of these perfect days?” </p><p>“I’d like to have many more perfect days with you, Regina.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading! I’m sorry it took so long. Things have been crazy, but I’ll try my best to update sooner. Let me know what you think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Happy Beginnings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>SwanQueen date, plus a new subplot development.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The following Wednesday after their date, Regina was having a rough day at work. Budget cut meetings were never fun and usually ended with angry small-business owners swarming her after the meeting, (which, in a small town like Storybrooke meant nearly everyone) trying to bargain with her for more money. However, this meeting was made just a bit better by Emma’s presence. The veterinary clinic manager couldn’t make it, so being the head veterinarian, Emma had been asked to attend the meeting. </p><p>As usual, the meeting ended and several Storybrooke citizens were all trying to convince Regina to raise their budget. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Emma still sitting in the second row, waiting patiently for her.  Regina spent almost ten minutes after the meeting discussing her reasoning for the budget cuts, frequently glancing over toward Emma’s direction and half expecting her to get up and leave at any moment. </p><p>However, to Regina’s surprise, the blonde waited until she was finished. The mayor approached her and Emma stood to greet her. “Sorry you had to wait so long. I’d like to say these meetings aren’t usually that bad, but unfortunately most of them are like that.” </p><p>The blonde gave a little chuckle. “You don’t have to apologize. And don’t worry, I’m not here to complain about financials.” </p><p>“Well, what are you here for?” Regina smirked and raised her eyebrows, waiting for her answer. </p><p>“You. Uh-I mean, I-I wanted to talk to you. I’ve been thinking about last Saturday. A lot, actually.” Emma was blushing and stammering and damn, Regina looked amazing in that pantsuit.</p><p>Regina would be lying if she said that she didn’t find the nervous stammering adorable. “I’ve been thinking about that as well. I’ve also been thinking of how I can make it up to you. Are you free tomorrow evening?”  </p><p>“Yeah, tomorrow sounds great! What did you have in mind?” </p><p>“It’s a surprise. Text me your address later and I’ll pick you up at 6:30.” </p><p>“Oh, okay. Is this a fancy dinner date? I don’t want to be underdressed for the occasion.” </p><p>“Wear something similar to the dress you wore to the park. You looked beautiful, dear.” Regina’s eyes glistened when she remembered how stunning Emma looked last Saturday. Much different from the scrubs and lab coat she has to wear at work. </p><p>“I can definitely do that. You looked amazing too, but you always look impeccable, Madam Mayor.” </p><p>“Thank you, Dr. Swan.” Regina playfully responded, knowing that they were past the formalities. They only met a week ago, yet they were already at the stage where they openly flirted with each other. Regina missed this part of being in a new relationship. The early part was always nice if there was chemistry. </p><p>“Well, I’m looking forward to our date, but I’d really like to kiss you now if that’s alright.” Slight emphasis on the ‘now’ part. </p><p>Regina blushes, caught off guard by the blonde. “I think that’s quite alright.” </p><p>Emma put her arms around Regina’s waist and gently pulled her closer. The brunette’s hands were in Emma’s beautiful golden hair, which Regina noticed, had been left down most likely to grab her attention. </p><p>Their lips finally met and the kiss was sweet and perfect. It didn’t go on for too long since they were just getting to know each other, but Regina knew she would be counting down the hours until their date so she could at least kiss the blonde goodnight. </p><p>When they parted, Regina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a habit which the blonde liked more and more each time. Emma almost kissed Regina again, but they heard voices down the hall, coming closer to the city hall meeting room. </p><p>A few men in suits opened the door, which meant that unfortunately, Emma had to go. “Madame Mayor, thank you for meeting with me.” Emma reaches out her hand for Regina to shake. </p><p>Regina took Emma’s hand. “My pleasure, Ms. Swan.” </p><p>Emma made her exit and Regina followed, or tried to until she was stopped by one of the men who entered the room, Mr. Gold. The name fit him, he was the wealthiest man in town. He used to be a banker, now he owns many of the properties in town.</p><p>“Regina, a word please.” He was one of the few people in town who dared not address her by her mayoral title. </p><p>“Of course, Robert.” If he wouldn’t use her title, she wouldn’t call him ‘Mr. Gold’. He has enough ego as it is, thinking he could get whatever he wanted, as long as he said ‘please’, like it was actually a magic word. </p><p>“As you probably know, your mother and I were close quite some time ago. She left me something to give to you.” He reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and pulled out an envelope. “All Cora said was ‘give it to her after I’m gone.” </p><p>“Thank you.” Regina took the blank envelope and headed toward her office. She immediately opened it and began reading. </p><p>‘My darling daughter Zelena’... </p><p>“Oh.” Regina knew she should stop there, but curiosity got the better of her. </p><p>‘... I’m aware that I owe you the truth about why I wasn’t a part of your life for so many years. When you were only a few months old, I was in illegal business working for Robert Gold to make some extra money. We blackmailed many people who had wronged him in the past and demanded large sums of money from them. One day, I was tasked with blackmailing a nice young couple and I refused. Robert was furious and he cut me off and ruined my reputation because of it. Your father was granted sole custody of you and I wasn’t allowed to see you. I’m sorry I didn’t reach out sooner, but I wasn’t sure if you would want anything to do with me. Zelena, I am so proud of the woman you’ve become and I’m glad I got to know you. <br/>     - Cora</p><p>Regina is too shocked to move, she sits at her desk frozen, staring at the letter that she knows she definitely shouldn’t have read. She starts thinking about all the lost time when she could have grown up with a sister. Now she knows why Cora was always so protective of her. She didn’t want to lose her like she lost Zelena. And then the anger hits her. No, anger isn’t a strong enough word for what she feels toward Robert Gold. </p><p>She quickly replaces the letter into a new envelope and seals it. She’ll share it with Zelena soon, but not before her date tomorrow evening. One thing is for certain: Mr. Gold is going to pay for this. </p><p>________________</p><p>Regina found it hard to concentrate at work since she couldn’t stop thinking about the letter. She had taken the afternoon off in order to try to relax before the fancy dinner date she promised Emma. She took a bath which seemed to help calm her down as it usually did after a particularly rough day at work and then started planning her outfit. </p><p>It took nearly half an hour to decide, but she finally landed on a burgundy dress similar to the purple one she wore to the park, except this one dipped down to reveal a little cleavage. She wore black heels and her favorite lipstick shade which happened to match the dress perfectly. She finished off the ensemble by adding a gold bracelet and small diamond earrings. </p><p>It was just after 6 o’clock and the doorbell rang. Lola was yapping excitedly as Regina rushed downstairs to answer the door and finding her dog-sitter, Ruby on the front steps. “Hi, Ms. Mills. You look great.” </p><p>“Thank you, Ruby. Come on in.” She opened the door wider and stepped back to allow Ruby into the house where she was greeted by Lola’s cute little yapping noises, tail wagging at lightning speed. “I just have to grab my bag from upstairs and then I’ll be going.” </p><p>“Okay. There’s no rush.” </p><p>Regina rushes upstairs to grab her clutch purse which she had packed with all the essentials. She took one last look in her bathroom mirror and added her lipstick to the clutch in case she needed a touch-up after dinner. </p><p>Regina returned downstairs to find Ruby and Lola in a tug-of-war with a piece of thick rope. “Well, I’m heading out now. Thank you for agreeing to watch Lola.” </p><p>“No problem, Ms. Mills. Enjoy your evening.”  </p><p>Regina went to pet Lola. “Bye Lola! I’ll be back soon, okay?” Lola licked her hand then Regina turned to Ruby, “you have my number if you need me.” </p><p>“Yep. Lola and I will be just fine.” </p><p>Regina headed toward the front door. “I should be back by 10:30.” She left to go pick up Emma, walking down the pathway to her Mercedes. </p><p>————————</p><p>Since Emma didn’t have to work and she wasn’t on-call, she actually got to sleep in a little. She was nervous for the date, not a bad nervous, but an excited nervous. She went for a morning run by the docks, letting the cool air calm her nerves and wake her up. When she got back to her loft apartment she showered and had coffee and an omelet for breakfast while she read the newspaper. </p><p>Emma spent the rest of the day either relaxing and watching a movie or running errands and before she knew it, it was time to start getting ready for her date. She picked a long flowing periwinkle blue dress which had a v-neck and short sleeves that loosely resembled butterfly wings. She wore beige stiletto heels and a small navy blue clutch that had a long silver chain so she could hang it off one shoulder. She kept her makeup light and natural, only adding a medium pink lipstick to give her lips a little extra color. </p><p>At 6:15 she was sat down on the couch waiting, her leg bouncing up and down nervously. The blonde had to resist the urge to pace back and forth until Regina arrived. There was a little voice in the back of her mind that told her that Regina wouldn’t show up, but she immediately dismissed the thought when her doorbell rang because of course Regina was perfectly punctual. Emma practically jumped from the couch to answer the door. Before she opened it she took a deep breath to calm down. </p><p>The sight of Regina nearly made Emma’s jaw hit the floor. “Hi, Regina. Come in.” Emma eyed Regina as she sauntered into her apartment. “Wow, you look stunning.” </p><p>Regina immediately took in the sight of Emma and had a similar reaction. “Thank you. You look beautiful, dear. Are you ready to go?” </p><p>“Yeah, I just have to grab my purse.” Emma thought that something might be off. It almost seemed like Regina was trying to rush, which was weird since they would most likely be early to wherever they were going. Emma ignored that thought, grabbed her bag and followed Regina out and to her car. </p><p>Once they were on the way to their destination, Emma tried to get Regina to tell her where they were going. “Hmm, since we’re dressed fancy, I’m guessing we’re not going to Granny’s Diner.” </p><p>“Greasy diner food? I think not.” </p><p>“It’s really not that bad, Regina.” </p><p>“If you must know, we’re going to my friend’s restaurant. I hope you’re not allergic to seafood.” </p><p>“I love seafood!” Emma could see Regina visibly relax, knowing that she hadn’t made a mistake in picking a seafood restaurant for their date. </p><p>“If you prefer to eat elsewhere, I might be able to use my mayoral status to get us a reserv-“</p><p>“Regina, stop worrying. I can tell something’s bothering you. I don’t need to know what it is, but tonight, you can let it go. Just for a few hours. Okay?” </p><p>Regina took a deep breath, pulling into the parking lot of ‘Under the Sea’. She put the car in park, “You’re right. There is something bothering me and I haven’t done the best job of hiding it. I promise tonight is just about us from now on.” </p><p>“Okay.” Emma grabbed Regina’s hand and squeezed reassuringly. The brunette squeezed back and then let go and moved to exit the car, Emma did the same. </p><p>Once they were out of the car, Emma held Regina’s hand. “Lead the way Madame Mayor.” </p><p>This earned a small laugh from Regina. “You’ve got to stop calling me that.” </p><p>But lead the way she did. They held hands all the way to the door, which Emma held open for the brunette. The inside of the restaurant was like a huge aquarium. There was all kinds of sea life everywhere you looked. The lighting was dim, only faint blue/white light which reflected off the water causing shiny waves to illuminate the dining area. </p><p>Regina’s voice finally broke Emma out of her trance. “It’s beautiful isn’t it? Ursula spared no expense in decor.” </p><p>“I’ve never seen anything like it.” Emma was still slightly in shock. </p><p>“Enjoying ourselves are we?” A beautiful woman appeared wearing a gorgeous sparkly grey dress and immediately went to hug Regina. </p><p>“Indeed we are. Emma, I’d like you to meet my friend Ursula. This is her restaurant.” </p><p>Emma shook Ursula’s hand, “it’s nice to meet you. This place is stunning.” </p><p>“Thank you. I spent a great deal of my life’s savings on it, but I’d say it was worthwhile.” </p><p>“I’m still new to Storybrooke, so I didn’t even know about this place. I think you can count on me coming back here regularly.” </p><p>Ursula turned to Regina, “speaking of regularly, I haven’t seen you in weeks.” </p><p>“I will be back more often. Especially since Emma likes it here so much.” </p><p>“I’ll hold you to it then. If you follow me, I’ve got your usual table ready.” </p><p>This time, Regina and Emma linked arms and followed Ursula to a secluded area of the restaurant with large windows which gave them the perfect view of the ocean at sunset. </p><p>“Thank you, Ursula.” </p><p>“Would you like to start off with some wine? I’d recommend the Riesling.” </p><p>They both agreed to the wine and Ursula went to get it while they looked over the menu. Emma didn’t know what to choose. She had scanned over the menu for several minutes and still didn’t know what to order. Ursula came back with the wine and decided to give them a few more minutes to choose their meals. </p><p>Regina could see that Emma was a bit flustered, staring at her menu like it was a complex calculus problem. “Need help deciding?” </p><p>“I can’t decide if I want the Tuscan salmon, the lobster, or if I should try the calamari.” </p><p>“Those happen to be some of my favorite dishes here. I would recommend the calamari. Lobster is a staple of Maine, but you’ve most likely had it before. The Tuscan salmon has garlic butter, so I wouldn’t choose it unless you don’t want to kiss me tonight.” </p><p>“Well then, I guess I’ve made my decision.” Emma leaned across the table to be a little closer to Regina. “To be clear, I’m trying the calamari because I really want to kiss you tonight.” It seems the wine was making them both a little bit bold. </p><p>A decision was made just in time for Ursula to return to take their orders. Emma ordered the calamari and Regina ordered the lobster ravioli. “Excellent choices, ladies. I’ll get those started for you right away.” They thanked her and Ursula fled to the kitchen. </p><p>The wine and conversation started flowing. They talked mostly about work, hobbies, and or course, Lola. </p><p>Soon, their food arrived and they both couldn’t wait to dig in, even after the complimentary cheese biscuits. </p><p>“Mmm. We are definitely coming back here. This is delicious.” </p><p>“Agreed. The food here never disappoints.” </p><p>After they had finished eating, Ursula came by their table to ask how their meal was and to say goodbye and once they reassured Ursula they would be coming back, they left. </p><p>Soon, they were back in Regina’s Mercedes. The blonde was having a fantastic evening so far. “So, what now?” </p><p>“Well, I believe you promised me a kiss, but maybe somewhere more private would be best.” </p><p>“We could go back to my apartment.” It was clear from her raised eyebrows that the brunette thought she was insinuating something. “No, no! I was just thinking it would be easier since my place is closer and you would have to drop me off anyway.” </p><p>“Well then, I suppose we’re going to your place.” They started driving and Regina scoffs when Ed Sheeran’s song ‘Perfect’ comes on the radio and Emma turns the up the volume. </p><p>“Seriously?”</p><p>“What? I like his music.” </p><p>It wasn’t that Regina didn’t like the song, she just thought it was too mainstream. She sighed, contemplating whether or not to fight Emma over control over the radio, but decided to let it go. The song ended moments before they pulled into the parking lot. Emma lead the way up to her apartment and held the door open for Regina. “Make yourself at home. Can I get you something to drink or eat? I have Rocky Road ice cream.” </p><p>“Water would be fine, thank you.” </p><p>“Coming right up!” Emma went into the kitchen while Regina settles on the couch. There were a few pictures around the room, and the one nearest to her on the coffee table seemed to be a college graduation picture of Emma and some of her friends from vet school. She looked adorable in her emerald green cap and gown holding her diploma, a beaming smile on her face. </p><p>Emma came back into the living room to find Regina admiring the picture. She sat on the couch next to the brunette and set handed Regina her glass of water. “Yeah, that was my vet school graduation. Those are my friends Elsa, August, and Merida. We became friends on day 1 of school and we’ve kept in touch ever since. Elsa actually just moved to Canada, not too far from here so I’m planning on visiting her sometime.” </p><p>“You should. Canada is beautiful in the springtime.” </p><p>“You’ve been?”</p><p>“Yes, I’ve been to Toronto a few times on vacation. It’s one of my favorite places.” </p><p>“Noted. I’ll have to check it out.” </p><p>There was a sudden lull in conversation and Emma could tell Regina was thinking about something because the vein in her forehead was showing. She had to fix that, so without preamble, Emma kissed her as promised. </p><p>Regina was stiff at first, but quickly melted into the kiss. Regina was grateful that the blonde interrupted her thoughts in this way. The brunette’s hands quickly found blonde hair. Even after being in a seafood restaurant, Emma smelled like some sort of sweet floral shampoo. They made out for who knows how long, and finally had to break the kiss. </p><p>It took them a moment to catch their breath. “Well, you kept your promise, Ms. Swan.” </p><p>Regina currently had a goofy smile on her face and Emma promised herself she would make it a goal to earn more of those. “I always keep my promises, Madame Mayor. For instance, I promise to kiss you again whenever you’d like.” </p><p>Regina pretended to consider for a moment, “I think I’ll cash in on that promise now.” </p><p>“As you wish, Madame Mayor.” </p><p>Regina kissed Emma this time. And kissed her, and kissed her. It was only when the mayor’s phone rang that they were forced to stop. </p><p>“That was my dog sitter, Ruby. I’m afraid I have to go.” </p><p>“I’ll walk you out.” </p><p>They held hands all the way to her car and the wished each other goodnight. As Emma watched Regina drive away she thought to herself ‘I’m going to marry that woman’.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know your thoughts! I hope I brought you a bit of happiness amidst this pandemic. ❤️</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Letter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Cute little SwanQueen moments and Zelena learns about the letter </p><p>I am really sorry this chapter took so long. Thank you for your patience, I really appreciate every one of you. As always, enjoy!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The day following her successful date with Emma, Regina was a bundle of nerves, tossing and turning in her sleep. She knew she had to tell her sister about the letter from Cora, but how? Zelena would most likely be angry that Regina had already read the letter, but really, the letter concerned the both of them. They were in this mess together and if taking down Mr. Gold was what they decided to do, there would be no stopping them. </p><p>Regina was awoken by Lola jumping on the bed. By now, they had somewhat established a routine. Lola would jump on the bed, they would go on a morning walk, then they would return home for breakfast, and there was a little playtime until Lola’s dog sitter arrived. Eventually, she wouldn’t need the dog sitter, but while Lola was still just a puppy, Regina didn’t want to leave her home alone all day. </p><p>After Ruby arrived, Regina left for work. Friday’s were usually a bit lighter and this one was no exception. There really wasn’t any really pressing matters to deal with, just the usual meetings and phone calls, and paperwork. The morning went by quickly and it was approaching lunchtime. ‘Well, I suppose there’s no need to put it off any longer.’ She dialed her sister’s number and waited for her to answer. </p><p>Zelena picked up on the third ring, “Hey sis! What a pleasant surprise! Miss me?” </p><p>“Zelena, I need to talk to you in person about something. Are you free to come over to my house tonight?” </p><p>“Does this meeting include dinner? Be warned that if you say no, I’ll still bring my own take-out from ‘Granny’s’ and I know how you feel about all that greasy food.” </p><p>“Fine. I will cook as long as you promise to eat whatever healthy food I make for you. I can’t have my sister living off greasy onion rings.” </p><p>“In that case, I’ll see you tonight! Text me a time later. Love you!” </p><p>She hung up before Regina could respond. Regina loved her sister, but sometimes she acted like a chaotic mess. </p><p>With that handled, she went back to eating her lunch which consisted of a kale salad and carrot sticks. Part of her diet she’s been on for a few years now. It’s not that she really needs to be on a diet, it became a habit to eat healthy ever since she began to gain weight during her teenage years. The dieting back then had been more rigorous. Cora would say ‘you can’t expect to find a man looking like you eat four meals a day’ or ‘oh dear, it seems not all of us were blessed with a high metabolism’. Part of that was still ingrained in her after all these years. But over time, she began to take a liking to healthy food. After all, it aided in her slim figure, one that she knew a certain someone appreciated. </p><p>With most of her lunch finished, and her next meeting not for another two hours, she decided to head home for a bit to spend time with Lola. </p><p>                         —————</p><p>Shortly after Regina returned home, she received a text from Emma. </p><p>‘Hey, Regina! I’m on my lunch break and I wanted to ask you something. I would have called, but I didn’t want to interrupt you at work.’ </p><p>Instead of replying, she dialed Emma’s number and she picked up on the first ring. “Hey Regina! I’m sorry. I bothered you at work didn’t I?” </p><p>“No, not at all. What was it you needed to ask me?” </p><p>“Well, I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me tonight? I found a Thai food place that has great reviews and I thought it might be nice for a date...and now I seem like an idiot since we just went on a date. </p><p>“You’re certainly not an idiot, Emma. I would love to join you, but I’m meeting my sister tonight. I have something important to discuss with her that can’t wait.”</p><p>“Oh. Right. Sorry. We can go some other time.” Emma really tried to hide the disappointment in her tone of voice, but wasn’t successful. </p><p>“I’m actually at home right now if you’d like to come over. I had a break before my next meeting so I came home to spend some time with Lola.”</p><p>“That sounds great! I’ll be there in a few minutes.”</p><p>“See you soon, Em-ma.” </p><p>There was a different question the blonde had really wanted to ask, but she decided she would rather ask Regina in-person. </p><p>She quickly drove to Regina’s place and went to ring the doorbell. Regina opened the door and she was immediately greeted by Regina, as well as an energetic Lola who barked and propped her front legs up on Emma’s. </p><p>“Come on in, Emma.” The brunette smiled warmly at her, grateful for the extra distraction from thinking about the tense conversation with her sister happening later.  </p><p>They settled on the couch with Lola between them. Regina was playing a riveting game of tog-o-war with Lola so Emma decided to speak up. “So, I have something I’d like to ask you.” </p><p>Regina briefly looked up and when she saw the way Emma was looking at her expectantly, she let Lola win and gave the blonde her full attention. “Go ahead”. </p><p>“Well, I know we haven’t been dating for very long, but I was wondering if you’d like to be my girlfriend. It’s definitely okay if you’re not ready to be girlfriends officially. I’m just saying that I really like you and I like spending time with you.” When Emma finished her speech she bit her bottom lip nervously. “There’s no one else I’ve felt this way about in a long time.”</p><p>“Oh Emma, I would very much like to be your girlfriend.” </p><p>“Really?” </p><p>“Yes, really.” Regina pulled Emma in for a kiss, one that went on for a while. It turned into a heated open mouthed kiss that left them breathless. Afterward, both of them had dorky grins on their faces. </p><p>“Yeah, I’m really glad I decided to ask you in person.” </p><p>“Me too, dear.” All the other important things disappeared, for a while, it was okay to focus on Emma and the happiness they felt. </p><p>                         ——————</p><p>Her cell phone had rang three times now. Irritated, she answered it to find out exactly who was bugging her. “What is it?” </p><p>“Is this Cora Mills?” A female voice answered. </p><p>“Yes. Who is this?” </p><p>“This is Mallory from Dr. Klein’s office. We got the blood test results back and we wanted to reach you right away.” </p><p>“Well, what’s the problem?”</p><p>“Ms. Mills, you’re pregnant. </p><p>‘How could this be? What am I going to do?’</p><p>“Ms. Mills, is everything alright? Would you like to schedule a follow-up appointment and an ultrasound? I can get you in first thing Monday m-“ </p><p>Cora hung up on the nurse. She didn’t want to deal with this. She can’t afford to raise a child if she could barely afford to feed herself. She was a waitress at a local diner struggling to make ends meet, a total cliche. She had to find a job that payed better if she were to keep this baby. The baby’s father was a nice traveling businessman from England who Cora had been dating for only two weeks. They had used protection and she was on birth control, yet somehow, here she was, knocked up and broke with nowhere to turn. </p><p>Cora noticed Mr. Gold enter the diner, taking his usual seat in Cora’s section like he did almost every day. Said he preferred to sit in her section because of her attitude. Though she clearly wasn’t of high status, she had a bit of an ego like she owned the place, plus she was easier on the eyes than most of the others. </p><p>Mr. Gold had a bad reputation around town. He was known for being malicious to anyone who broke a deal with him, thus most were afraid of him. </p><p>“Can I get you your usual?” His usual was a black coffee, toast, scrambled eggs and bacon. Nothing fancy or special. </p><p>“What can I say? You know me.” He smiled creepily at her, his gold tooth sparkling. </p><p>“Coming right up.” She gave him a quick half smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes and turned to give the kitchen his order, then turned to go take care of her other customers. </p><p>“W-wait.” Cora froze and slowly turned to look at Gold. </p><p>“Yes?” She tried to hide the wave of morning sickness that came over her as soon as she turned. </p><p>“Something’s different about you. Something cooking in that oven of yours perhaps?” </p><p>She got closer to him and spoke in a whisper. “Keep your voice down. How did you know?” </p><p>“I could see it in your eyes. There’s a new worry there that comes with the fear of not being able to provide for a helpless child. I’ve seen that look on too many of my clients.” </p><p>“I’ll be fine. I can pick up extra shifts here and get a job at the grocery store around the corner. That should be enough to cover-“</p><p>“You need a guaranteed stable, highly profitable job. Any money you make from this place won’t do. Babies are expensive dearie.” Gold knew from the look on Cora’s face that he’d won her over. “Come work for me, and I promise you it will earn you more than enough to care for that baby of yours.” </p><p>Cora was leaning towards accepting the offer, but she knew what kind of shady business working for him would include. Just thinking of working for that creepy man made her nausea worse. </p><p>Gold noticed her hesitation and made it easy on her. “I’ll give you three days to think it over. You know where to find me.” </p><p>                         ————— </p><p>The work day was almost over and Regina was dreading the pending conversation with her sister. Zelena could be a loose cannon sometimes and was prone to overreacting, so Regina would have to choose her words carefully. Thankfully, her job as mayor had allowed her plenty of practice at that. </p><p>Done with work for the day, Regina cleaned up the paperwork scattered across her desk and she picked a large stack of it to bring home with her. She bid her assistant good evening as she locked up her office and went home. </p><p>Regina decided to go to the grocery store and pick up ingredients to make burgers and sweet potato fries as a treat to Zelena before giving her the upsetting news. </p><p>She arrived home to find Lola asleep on her dog bed. Regina decided to let her sleep and got started on cooking dinner. If anyone were to ask her, Regina would say that she didn’t like burgers, but secretly, she did take a liking to them from time to time. She got the burgers on the grill and put the sweet potatoes in the air fryer when she heard the familiar sound of little paws trotting toward her. “Lola! Hello sweet girl.” Lola wagged her tail at maximum speed and licked Regina’s face when she bent down to greet her. She went outside with Lola for a minute while the food was cooking. They were heading back inside when Zelena’s car pulled into the driveway. The redhead climbed out of the car looking chipper as per usual. I really hope she doesn’t hate me for reading that letter. </p><p>“Hey sis! Hi Lola!” Lola ran over to greet the redhead and Zelena was more than happy to give Lola some attention. </p><p>“Zelena, you’re early.” She didn’t mind her sisters company normally, but nervous butterflies came to life in her stomach. She hadn’t quite finished working out what to say just yet. </p><p>“Well now, is that any way to treat your guest? At least Lola’s giving me a proper greeting.” Zelena knelt down and Lola was licking her face, excited by the new arrival. </p><p>“I didn’t mean to be rude, Z.” Regina walked over to her sister and pulled her in for a hug. Sometimes Regina wasn’t used to having a sister, but she loved Zelena so she felt bad for coming off cold or unkind. “Dinner is not quite ready yet since I wasn’t expecting you for another half hour. Speaking of, I need to get back inside unless you like your burger well done.” Regina started back toward the house, Zelena followed, carrying Lola.</p><p>“You’re making burgers? I thought you didn’t like burgers. What’s the occasion?” </p><p>“There isn’t a special occasion. I wanted to treat you to burgers since you like them so much. I can assure you, once you’ve had these, you’ll never want to go back to greasy diner burgers.” </p><p>“We’ll see about that.” Zelena knew her sister was a good cook, but she also knew what a health nut she was. All doubts went away later when she took a bite of her burger. “Regina, either you have to come cook these for me once a week or I’ll have to take a to-go bag home and freeze some for later.” </p><p>“Or I can give you the recipe and you can learn to cook for yourself instead of eating frozen meals or take out.” Regina was thankful for this light bantering. She made a mental note to invite Zelena over more often. The rest of dinner went off without a hitch. When the food was finished, Regina washed the dishes and Zelena dried, then they retired to the couch in the living room. </p><p>Regina had thought ahead and hid the letter under a book on the table in front of the couch. ‘Time to break the news’. </p><p>“Zelena, Mr. Gold gave me a letter from Cora.” </p><p>“Well, what did mummy dearest have to say?” </p><p>Regina pulled out the letter from its hiding spot and handed it to Zelena. “It’s actually addressed to you. See for yourself.” </p><p>“It seems like you’ve decided to go ahead and read it so why don’t you tell me?” Zelena was starting to get frustrated. She could tell something was bothering Regina since she arrived. </p><p>“Zelena, I didn’t mean to read it, but it concerns the both of us. The reason Cora had to give you up was because she refused to help Robert Gold blackmail good, kind people. Gold turned the tables on her and helped your father gain sole custody of you.” </p><p>“What?” Zelena had thought that it was Cora’s decision to not be a part of her life, but she had thought wrong. “I’m going to destroy that greasy little imp!” </p><p>“No. We are going to destroy him. With my position as mayor, I can dig up some dirt on him and we can take him down once and for all.” </p><p>—————</p><p>It was another hour before Zelena went home, filled with delicious burgers and the thirst for revenge. The evening hasn’t gone as bad as Regina had expected. The redhead was fairly understanding about the whole situation. It seems Lola was exhausted too, she fell asleep on Regina’s lap. She hoped Emma was still awake at this hour. The phone rang three times before a drowsy Emma answered. “Hello?” </p><p>“Hello, Sleeping Beauty.” Regina teased using her low husky voice. That woke Emma up fast. </p><p>“If you’re my Prince Charming, can you wake me with a kiss next time?” She was caught off guard by Regina’s flirtation, but she had no problem playing along. </p><p>“Believe me, if I were there, you would have gotten your wish.” Emma laughed and it was music to Regina’s ears. </p><p>“I’ll hold you to it.” </p><p>“I’m sorry I woke you. I just needed someone to talk to after meeting with my sister.” </p><p>“I’m glad you called. How did it go?” </p><p>“It actually went better than I had anticipated.” Even with the seriousness of the conversation this evening, talking to her girlfriend helped Regina to relax. </p><p>“See? I knew it would go okay. I had complete faith in you.” </p><p>“Thank you, dear. I wish I could tell you about this whole mess, but until it’s handled, it needs to stay between me and Zelena.” She felt a little guilty for leaning on Emma when she couldn’t tell the blonde about the letter that started all of this. </p><p>“Hey, it’s okay. Just know that you can lean on me whenever you’re stressed. It’s what girlfriends are for.” </p><p>“I do like being your girlfriend. Which reminds me, I believe I owe you a date to the Thai restaurant you mentioned earlier.” </p><p>“How about tomorrow night?” </p><p>“It’s a date.”</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. An Unexpected, (Un)Fortunate Turn of Events</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Both of our ladies have a very eventful day leading up to their date. Romance and sexy time?? </p><p>This chapter is rated mature<br/>If you don’t want to read a sexy scene, skip the part marked with  ***  <br/>I promise you this is still a mostly fluff story</p><p>I’m sorry it took so long to post, but please enjoy the extra long chapter!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Since it was Saturday, Emma decided to sleep in... until she got an emergency vet call that needed her attention. Belle’s horse, Phillipe was having trouble with his left foot after being spooked by a wolf. So, she dragged herself out of bed at 6:30 in the morning and got ready to go make a house call. Belle was the Storybrooke librarian. Emma met her on her second day in town and they had an instant connection over their love for books. Belle was kind and intelligent with chestnut brown hair that was usually in a French braid and piercing blue eyes. She was one of Emma’s closest friends. </p><p>Emma quickly got dressed and drove to Belle’s farmhouse. When she arrived, Belle was waiting outside looking more worried than Emma had ever seen her. “Emma, thank you so much for coming! I’ve been so worried about Phillipe.” The brunette greeted Emma with a hug. </p><p>“It’s no problem, Belle. Can you take me to him?” She followed Belle around to the back of the house where the barn was. There was a large fenced-in area where the two other horses were eating and trotting around the enclosure. She was lead to a corner of the fence where a horse that was the same color as Belle’s chestnut hair laid on its side. Emma knelt down to examine Phillipe and knew from experience that his front left ankle was sprained. Emma was glad she brought supplies to wrap the injured ankle. A few minutes later when the splint was in place, Belle was able to get Phillipe to stand by bribing him with his favorite treats. He still had a limp and favored his injured foot, but he didn’t give up and lay back down. “Emma, thank you so much! When Phillipe is healed, you should go horseback riding with me.” </p><p>“I’m not too good at horseback riding, but I promise I’ll come and visit you more often.”</p><p>“I’ll hold you to your promise then.” </p><p>They bid their goodbyes and Emma drove back to her apartment, hoping to get a couple more hours of sleep. There was no way she was going to be tired for her date tonight. </p><p>—————</p><p> </p><p>Regina didn’t want to go into work on a Saturday, but she had nothing better to do to spend her time before her date with Emma. It wasn’t a bad idea to get a head start on her and Zelena’s plans to take down Gold. </p><p>Since she would be the only one in the office, she decided to bring Lola along. To her surprise, Lola was well behaved and mostly stayed in her dog bed beside Regina’s desk after her initial exploration of the office. </p><p>Regina had a private investigator searching for dirt on Mr. Gold, but it wouldn’t hurt to do her own digging. Being the Mayor, she had access to his financial records and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that something just didn’t add up. Literally, it would seem. Gold had inquired large sums from several separate accounts all within the last ten years. Now, the hard part would be to find the source of each of the deposits and investigating further, but that would be for the private investigator to handle. Regina was satisfied with the progress she made so she decided to get a head start on paperwork for the week. </p><p>Lunchtime was fast approaching and Lola was waking up from her nap so they left the office to get something to eat. They were on their way to the diner, Regina intending to order her usual salad to-go, and set out toward 108 Mifflin Street. Regina and Lola has only made it a few meters down Main Street when Dr. Hopper, the town’s psychologist, and his dalmatian, Pongo were approaching them. Lola hadn’t been around other dogs, so upon seeing Pongo, she desperately wanted to get a closer look. Regina lost her grip on the leash, and it seemed that Pongo was just as eager to get free. Within seconds, Pongo was chasing Lola down the street toward the forest. Panicking, Regina dialed Emma’s number and hoped she wasn’t busy. </p><p>Emma picked up on the second ring, “Hey, Regina! Excited for our date tonight?” </p><p>“Emma! Lola ran away! We were leaving the diner and Pongo and Lola saw each other and ran off toward the woods!” </p><p>“Don’t panic, I’ll be right there.” </p><p>She hung up and tried not to panic, but she couldn’t help it. She was worried for Lola, who was probably lost and scared. She cursed herself for not paying attention to her surroundings. Blamed herself for failing to maintain a grip on the leash. Meanwhile, Dr. Hopper was apologizing repeatedly and reassuring her that they would find their dogs. “Dr. Hopper, first of all, you are not to blame for the dog’s behavior. As for finding them, I-“ </p><p>“Regina!” Emma came jogging over to the mayor, looking almost as concerned and frantic as Regina felt. </p><p>“Emma! Thank you for coming.” Regina gratefully hugged her girlfriend. “I hope I didn’t ruin your afternoon.” </p><p>“Not at all. I was just taking a stroll by the docks. Which direction did Lola go?” </p><p>“Follow me.” Regina took Emma’s hand and lead the way to where Lola had gone. Dr. Hopper joined the search. Ruby, one of the waitresses at the diner, had witnessed the chaos and decided to join the search party. </p><p>When they reached the edge of the woods, they decided to split up in order to find the dogs faster. Ruby and Dr. Hopper followed the trail to the left and Regina and Emma went to the path on the right which lead down by the stream since Emma had hiked the path a few times. </p><p>After the first couple of minutes passed, it was clear that the mayor was not wearing suitable footwear for hiking through the woods. Emma fought the urge to pick Regina up and carry her, and instead, offered her hand to help her girlfriend keep her balance. “Thank you.” </p><p>“You’re welcome, anytime.” Emma flashed a smile at her girlfriend, confused when she suddenly stopped walking. </p><p>“No, really. It means a lot that you’re here.” Regina wasn’t used to people putting her first, so she truly saw Emma as her knight in shining armor. </p><p>Emma saw the genuine emotion Regina was showing and closed the distance between them, cupping her face and kissing her tenderly. When she broke the kiss, she gently stroked the mayor’s cheeks with her thumbs, “I’m always here for you, and for Lola. Always.” </p><p>Regina kissed her back passionately, her hands reaching up behind Emma’s neck. Just when the kiss began to deepen, they heard a dog bark somewhere in the distance, coming from the direction of the stream. They pulled apart and Regina noticed that her girlfriend looked a little discouraged. Regina put a hand under Emma’s chin, encouraging her to lock eyes with her, “hey, there’s plenty of time for that later. After our date tonight.” </p><p>That seemed to lift Emma’s mood and she smiled and held out her hand, which Regina took without hesitation. They resumed their search, heading in the direction of the barking they heard moments ago. </p><p>It didn’t take them long to reach the edge of the stream. There, they spotted Lola who’s leash was caught on a bush which prevented her from going into the fast flowing water.  Regina scooped up Lola into her arms while Emma untangled her leash. They didn’t see any sign of Pongo, so hopefully he hadn’t wandered off as far as Lola had. </p><p>Meanwhile, Dr. Hopper and Ruby were walking near the cliffs that overlook the stream where Emma and Regina were searching. Thankfully they were just as lucky in their search, Pongo came running toward them, happily wagging his tail. They called Regina to let her and Emma know that they had Pongo and they were glad to hear that Lola had also been found safe and sound. </p><p>They met at the edge of the woods where they had split up to search and said their goodbyes. Ruby went back to work at the diner and Dr. Hopper went back to his office, leaving Regina, Emma, and Lola. </p><p>Emma had her hands shoved in the pockets of her skinny jeans, nervously rocking back and forth on her heels. “Well I guess I’ll see you in a few hours.” </p><p>Regina wanted to go on the date tonight, but the shock of Lola running away had taken a toll on her. “Actually, would you like to come back to my place? I’m not sure I feel like going out tonight after the events of this afternoon. But I am in the mood to order take-out and cuddle on the couch with you.” </p><p>“That sounds perfect. That is, if you don’t mind that I smell like forest.” </p><p>Regina chuckled, “I don’t mind as long as you don’t comment on how awful I smell. We can both shower and change. I have clothes you can borrow.” </p><p>“Okay. Lead the way, Madame Mayor.” </p><p>——————</p><p>After a ten minute walk, they were at Regina’s house. Before either of them showered, it was decided that Lola would need a bath. Regina took care of that while Emma was tasked with deciding what food to order. In the end, she settled on pizza, which is arguably the best take-out option. Can’t go wrong with a classic. </p><p>Regina came downstairs, carrying Lola who had a towel wrapped around her. “What did you decide on for dinner?” </p><p>“How do you feel about pizza?” Emma thought the idea would immediately get rejected. </p><p>“I love pizza! I haven’t had it in months. What kind is your favorite?” </p><p>Emma was pleasantly surprised at her girlfriend’s enthusiasm. “I’m more of a classic pepperoni pizza person, but sometimes I add beef, mushrooms, and bell peppers if I’m in the mood to splurge.” </p><p>“That sounds perfect!” Regina closed the short distance between them and have Emma a peck on the cheek, “I’m going to shower while you order the pizza. I won’t be long.”</p><p>“Okay.” Lola came trotting into the kitchen, dragging her towel behind her, and waited by her food bowl expectantly. “Are you hungry too?” Since Emma had been there before, she knows where Regina stores Lola’s food. She went ahead and gave her a little food, unsure of what Lola’s feeding schedule was, but she knew the puppy was probably tired from her adventures today. </p><p>Once Lola was taken care of, Emma ordered the pizza and breadsticks, which would be delivered within the next fifteen minutes. </p><p>Emma was busy thinking about the pizza and almost didn’t notice Regina walking into the kitchen. She was wearing an oversized light grey jumper and black sweatpants, her hair still damp, but starting to curl naturally. It was refreshing to see her so relaxed. Regina was beautiful like this. Emma didn’t notice she was staring until Regina laughed, “you know, if you take a picture it’ll last longer.” </p><p>“Huh..what?” </p><p>“You were staring, dear.” </p><p>“I was not staring. I was in shock that you even own a pair of sweatpants.” </p><p>“You were staring and it was adorable.” It was nice to know that she can still make an impression wearing sweatpants and no makeup. </p><p>Emma blushed at being called adorable. “Not as adorable as you with curly hair. You should wear it like that more often.” </p><p>“You think so?” Regina smirked, enjoying the effect she had on her girlfriend. </p><p>“Definitely.” Emma mover toward Regina, wanting to pull her close, but Regina pushed her back. </p><p>“Uh uh. Not until you’ve showered.” Regina playfully pushes Emma in the direction of the stairs, the blonde laughing the whole time. “The guest bedroom is upstairs on the left. There are fresh towels in the cabinet under the sink and I laid out some clothing options on the bed.” </p><p>“Okay, thanks.” Emma began to climb the stairs, but turned back, “but if the pizza is here before I return, you better not start without me.” Emma turned back around and ran up the stairs, finding the guest room, closing and locking the door behind her. </p><p>Meanwhile, Regina tried to keep herself busy tidying up the living room to pass time until the food arrived and Emma was done with her shower. Regina was lost in thought about how lucky she is to have Emma when the doorbell distracted her. The pizza had arrived and Emma was still upstairs. It smelled so good, she was tempted to grab a piece of pepperoni, but she heard Emma coming down the stairs. Her blonde hair was braided and she had chosen a red and black plaid button-up shirt and black sweatpants. </p><p>“Well, you’re just in time. The pizza just arrived.” </p><p>“I thought I heard the doorbell. It smells amazing!” </p><p>“Grab a plate and I’ll meet you in the living room.” Regina would never eat something messy like pizza on the couch, but she arranged pillows and blankets on the floor in front of the couch. </p><p>Regina took Lola upstairs for her nap and returned downstairs after stopping to wash her hands. She returned to the kitchen and grabbed two slices of pizza before joining Emma in the living room. She was surprised to find that Emma hadn’t started eating yet and she had poured both of them a glass of red wine. </p><p>“I hope you don’t mind that I opened a bottle of wine. I know it’s your favorite and I wanted to make tonight kind of special after the afternoon we had.” </p><p>“I don’t mind at all. Thank you, you didn’t have to wait for me to join you before you start eating.” Emma just kept surprising her and being more loveable by the minute. </p><p>“This date was your idea, Regina. Besides, I wouldn’t be a very good girlfriend if I finished off my half of the pizza before you’ve even had a bite.” Emma patted the empty spot on the blanket beside her, “come here, babe.” </p><p>Regina carefully sat down, close enough to Emma that their thighs were touching. She gratefully accepted the glass of wine that was offered and Emma raised her own glass. “Here’s to the crazy afternoon we had, and to a much needed relaxing evening together.” </p><p>Regina smiled and clinked her glass with Emma’s. “Cheers!” </p><p>They both sipped their wine and started eating, both of them starving after having missed lunch. After each of them had a few bites, Regina spoke up, “I feel guilty for asking for your help earlier. I didn’t even think that you might have been busy, or had other plans that didn’t involve spending your afternoon walking through the woods. Not to mention we didn’t end up going to the Thai restaurant you were so excited about.” </p><p>Emma wiped her mouth with a napkin and grabbed Regina’s hand. “I wouldn’t have traded our crazy adventure this afternoon for anything. Honestly, any time I get to spend with you is my favorite. The Thai place doesn’t matter. This is a much better date anyway.” </p><p>Regina wanted to toss the pizza aside and straddle Emma’s lap and kiss her, but instead she settled for leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. “I can never spend enough time with you. I was actually thinking of inviting you to spend the night here. That is, if you would like to. There’s no pressure and I absolutely understand if you’d rather go hom-“ </p><p>“I’d love to stay!” Emma’s stomach rumbled and both of them laughed and resumed eating. When they were done with their first two slices, Emma went back for seconds and Regina went upstairs to check on Lola. She was sleeping soundly in her doggie bed, Regina pulled out her phone and snapped a photo to show Emma. </p><p>She returned downstairs to find Emma standing in the kitchen, finishing her 3rd slice of pizza. “How’s Lola?” Regina held up her phone and showed Emma the picture she took of Lola. “Aww, she’s adorable!” </p><p>“I know someone else who’s pretty adorable.” She wrapped her arms around Emma’a neck. </p><p>“Oh yeah? Who would that be? You’re not seeing anyone else are you?” Emma grabbed Regina’s waist. </p><p>“No. I don’t need anyone else.” She met her girlfriend’s lips in a soft kiss. They both melted into the kiss, Emma’s tongue tracing Regina’s bottom lip. The brunette eagerly parted her lips as the kiss deepened. After a few moments, they broke apart, their foreheads staying together. </p><p>“How would you like to relax on the couch?” </p><p>“That sounds like a fantastic idea Madame Mayor.” They put the leftover pizza in the fridge and held hands while walking into the living room and settling on the couch. Emma sat close to one end of the couch and Regina sat near Emma, facing her and stretching out her legs so they were on top of the blonde’s lap. “Expecting a foot massage?” </p><p>“Well, after trekking through the woods in heels, I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to the idea.”  </p><p>“Okay, but you owe me.” </p><p>“Whatever you say.” Regina smirked as Emma started massaging her right foot. It didn’t take long for that smirk to be wiped away when Emma worked on the ball of Regina’s foot, pressing in with just the right amount of pressure. Regina’s eyes fell closed and she had to bite her bottom lip to keep from moaning. Of course the blonde saw the effect she had on her girlfriend and she decided to massage the heel as well. This elicited a half whimper, half moan from Regina, whose face turned red from the noise she made. </p><p>Emma chuckled, “someone’s enjoying this. Maybe I chose the wrong career path.” </p><p>Regina opened her eyes. “No, I don’t want to share you. You should be my own personal masseuse.” </p><p>Emma switched feet and resumed the massage. “I think I can do that as long as you cook for me again.” </p><p>“Deal.” Regina sighed contentedly and closed her eyes. The blonde continued to work her magic on the mayor’s feet in silence for a while when suddenly, Emma stopped massaging her feet and tickled the bottom of her feet instead. Regina’s eyes snapped open and she yanked her feet away from her tickle monster girlfriend. </p><p>“What was that for?” </p><p>“Your massage is over, Your Majesty.” Emma gave a little mock bow. </p><p>Regina scoffed delicious crossed her arms, “and to think I was going to return the favor.” </p><p>Emma’s eyes went wide. “I’m sorry! I’ll make it up to you. Can I still get a massage? Please?” Emma pouted and gave Regina puppy dog eyes. </p><p>Regina rolled her eyes and, despite her best efforts, she couldn’t help but smile at how adorable the blonde was. “Okay, fine. Let me go check on Lola first.” </p><p>Regina went upstairs to find Lola waking from her nap and took her out to the backyard for a bit. Once that was done, they went back inside and found Emma laying down on the couch with her feet propped up on a pillow, anticipating a foot massage. </p><p>Regina removed the pillow from under her feet. “Sit up, please.” Seeing the confusion mixed with disappointment on Emma’s face she clarified, “I said I would return the favor, however I did not say I would touch your feet. How does a shoulder massage sound?” </p><p>“That sounds awesome.” Emma was just glad that Regina was returning the favor at all. Regina sat on the couch facing her, and Emma turned so her back was to Regina. </p><p>The mayor scooted closer to Emma and started massaging her shoulders. The blonde melted at her touch, eyes closed, her head tipped back and a moan escaped. </p><p>Regina chuckled. She enjoyed eliciting such a response from the blonde. “I take it you’re satisfied?” </p><p>Emma’s brain struggled to form words, so all she could say was, “mhm”. </p><p>Regina smirked and worked on a knot with her thumb. She continued massaging for several more minutes before stopping. She moved Emma’s hair to the side and placed a kiss to the side of her neck. Emma turned around to face Regina and kissed her passionately. The intimacy of the evening setting the mood for romance. The blonde started to push Regina back until she was laying down, but the brunette broke the kiss. Emma immediately moved away, afraid she took things a little too far and apologized. </p><p>Regina stood up and took Emma’s hand in hers and urged her to stand to meet her. “Emma, if we’re doing this tonight, I want our first time to be special.” She cupped the blonde’s face and leaned in for a tender kiss. </p><p>When they parted, both of them had a gleam in their eyes, full of adoration. </p><p>“Take me to bed.” A moment later and Regina was surprised when her girlfriend lifted her up bridal style and carried her upstairs to her bedroom. </p><p>Emma gently laid her on the bed and Regina pulled the blonde down on top of her and their lips met. They had never been closer to one another, every inch of them aligned. </p><p>It was Emma who broke the kiss this time, “are you sure you want to do this? I don’t want to make you feel pressured in any way.” </p><p>“Emma, I have never been more sure of anything in my entire life. I want you.”</p><p>  ***</p><p>This time, the kiss was passionate and quickly turned into a messy clash of lips and teeth and tongue. Clothing was removed until they were both in their underwear. Emma kissed the side of Regina’s neck, biting down and soothing the spot with her tongue. </p><p>Meanwhile, Regina’s thigh slipped between Emma’s legs and they both moaned at how wet she was. Emma rolled her hips a little and she looked down at Regina and traced a line down her stomach with her fingers, stopping at the band of her underwear. Regina met her gaze and nodded, “please.” Emma slipped her hand inside the brunette’s underwear and cupped her sex, finding her already wet. She entered Regina slowly with two fingers, feeling the mayor stretch around her. Emma pulled out and back in at a slow, steady pace, then started circling her clit with her thumb. Regina moaned and arched her back, her hips rolling to meet Emma’s thrusts. Emma ground down onto Regina’s thigh, feeling herself get closer to her own climax. Their pace quickened and Regina whimpered, “Emma I’m-“ </p><p>A second later and Regina was cumming, Emma found her own release as well. When they had both calmed down a bit, Emma withdrew her fingers and licked them clean. Regina watched intently and once she finished, she pulled Emma in for a kiss. She sighed as she tasted herself on her girlfriend’s lips. </p><p>They rolled onto their side and removed their ruined underwear and bras, seeing each other fully naked for the first time. Their eyes drank each other in, Emma couldn’t keep herself from kissing Regina’s neck and working her way down to her perfect breasts. She licked and sucked on a pert nipple while she gently squeezed the other with her hand. Regina’s fingers threaded through long blonde hair, arching her back and sighing at how good she felt. Emma released her nipple with a soft pop and gave attention to her other breast. Emma gently rolled Regina onto her back. She kissed in between her breasts and left a trail of kisses down Regina’s toned stomach. Regina’s eyes went wide when she realized what was happening. No one had ever gone down on her before.  </p><p>“Are you okay with this, Regina?” </p><p>“Yes. Emma, I trust you.”  </p><p>Emma moved down and stood at the foot of the bed, sliding Regina toward her until her legs were hanging off the bed. Emma got on her knees and rested Regina’s legs on her shoulders. Emma kissed the brunette’s inner thigh and repeated the action on her other thigh. Emma looked up to find Regina watching her. The blonde licked from her opening to her clit a couple times before paying more attention to her clit. Within minutes, Regina was moaning and whimpering, already close to her climax. “Emma- inside- please”. </p><p>Emma didn’t miss a beat, this time adding a third finger and finding the spot that made Regina cum earlier. Working up a faster pace with her fingers, she sucked Regina’s clit into her mouth. The brunette came undone, jerking slightly as the afterwaves of her pleasure consumed her. Emma continued to lick her clit slowly as she rode out her orgasm. When Regina began to push her away, Emma stopped and withdrew her fingers, gently cleaning up Regina’s extra juices. Regina scooted back on the bed and Emma climbed up next to her. </p><p>***</p><p>Regina pulled her close and Emma kissed her forehead. They got under the covers and cuddled. They fell fast asleep in each other’s arms.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is only my second fanfic attempt, and I was hesitant to post this. Please let me know what you think/ if you wanna see more chapters! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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